State moots new highway connecting Mumbai, Navi Mumbai with Badlapur

Maharashtra plans a new 20-km access-controlled highway to link Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Badlapur, aiming to reduce congestion and travel time.

MUMBAI: After planning and executing seamless road connectivity on Mumbai’s western waterfront through the Coastal Road and a chain of sea links, the state government now plans on opening a new road network on the Mumbai-Navi Mumbai-Badlapur route to decongest the existing roads and reduce travel time.

State moots new highway connecting Mum, Navi Mum with Badlapur

A 20-km-long eight-lane access controlled highway (ACH) is being planned to link Mumbai and Navi Mumbai with Kalyan-Badlapur to drastically reduce road commute time. The proposed Badlapur multi-modal corridor, to be executed through the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), is in the initial stages of planning.

“It’s in the ideation stage. We want to get a Detailed Project Report (DPR) prepared prior to deciding on its execution plan,” said an MMRDA official.

Population has grown exponentially in the sub-regions of Badlapur, Ambernath, Ulhasnagar, Kalyan and Dombivli in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), with the rapid growth expected to continue.

“These areas lack seamless and fast connectivity with Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and the Navi Mumbai International Airport. Connectivity will help in reducing congestion on roads within the city limits due to diversion of traffic,” the proposal accessed by the Hindustan Times read.

As per the plan, a four-lane carriageway is proposed to be developed initially, with additional land kept in the median for future expansion. Apart from this, there will also be service roads and connectors for access to towns and cities.

MMRDA plans on roping in a consultant to prepare the DPR. The consultant will weigh in the technical, economical, and financial viability of the project, including land acquisition and rehabilitation of the project-affected people. The DPR will also consider environmental and social feasibility.

This project will provide fast connectivity from Badlapur, Ulhasnagar, Kalyan-Dombivli sub-region to south and central Mumbai within 60 minutes and Navi Mumbai (NMIA) within 30 minutes. The road will be designed for speed of 80 kmph and shall have major interchanges at location A (Mumbai-Vadodara Spur), B (Badlapur), and C (Heduthane). In addition, an interchange at the starting point of Kalyan Ring Road (KRR) is also proposed. Two metros - Kanjurmarg Badlapur Metro and Kalyan Taloja Metro - will pass over it.

The access-controlled highway, that will include a 3-km-long tunnel, will require nearly 178 hectares of land and is expected to cost around ₹10,000 crore, according to MMRDA sources.